The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-07-09
A TREASURY THIEF CAUGHT
A Trusted Official Found Guilty of Try
ing to Defraud the Government.
Austin Fl. Brown Discovers the Swindler and
Causes His Arrest-He Is Employed in
the Office of the Third Auditor.
A TREASURY SENSATION.

| TREASURY SENSATION
| Trusted Oflcial Found Guilty OF Trying
| to Swindle the Government.
/ WASHINGTON, July 6-Somethine Of a ssnsa-
| ton was created in the Treasury Department
this afternoon by the discovery that trusted
i official in the Departments had been guilty of q
| systematic attempt to defraud the government
/ The officer arrested at Wilkesbarre yester-
| day afternoon, he was about to take the train
| for Washington. and his dismissal from the serv-
ice was ordered by Secretary Fairchild this
| afternoon. His name 10 Oscar J. Harvey and
| he has been employed in the Department since
June. 1885, when be was appointed chief of the
horseclaims division Of the Third Auditors
Office. It was while he held this position that
he perpetrated the frauds with which he is now
charged. On the second of June last he was
transferred to the head of division in the Sec
ond Comptroller's Office, a division which has
charge of claims of the same nature as those in
the division which he had just left. Austin n
Brown. Of Indianapolis, succeeded Harvey an
chief of the horse-caims division. and soon after
he took charge of the Office he discovered the
frauds of which his predecessor had been guilty
They consisted of the passage of forty three
fraudulent claims for horses. agsreyating So 200
and the preparation of many additional cases Of
in the Office. Soon after Mr.. Brown took charge
he discovered something wrong and reported she
matter to the Secretary, aud the frauds have
been run down. In most cases the claims are for
horses lost during the late war; and are presented
in the names of officers of Pennsylvania and
New Jersey regiments. All the cases appeared
TO have been prosecuted by"W. W. Wynn"
first of Philadelphia and then Of Washington.
and the services Of 81 c. Moufort,D notary pub.
lie, Philadelphia, were called into req uistion in
connection with the necessary afidavits. The
work involved q very large numbea
of forgeries. official and otherwise,
and the stealing OF numerous in
eliminating papers from the files of the de-
partment. For instance, in thirteen claims il
was found that signatures involving the names
of thirty eight officers were forgies Subsequent
ly it was found that the Second Auditors name
had been forged IN the certificates received from
that Office, and also that none of the Pennsyl-
vania and New Jersey cases in which MIR. Wynn
was attorney were entered on the records of that
Office The claims which had been allowed were
then overhauled. and in almost every instanceit
was found that the Second Auditors certificate.
as to signatures, had been distracted, together
with other papers The stamp of the mail-room
OF the Third Auditors Office and the stamp OF
the norse-claims division had been forged and
the dates arranged go as to bring them within
the limitation fixed for the fling of these claims.
The stamp Of the Quartermaster-generars office
was also forged. The drafts were regu.
larry issued and an examination of such
as have been returned as paid shows
that Harvey and Wynn are one and the
same person, and that although the drafts were
drawn in favor of the claimants. the money,
with one two exceptions. went directly to
Harvey or to some of his relatives. He had Sc
cured their payment by forging tho signature Of
the payee and then indorsine the draft with his
cwn name Monfort, the Philadelphia notary,
like Wynn, the attorney. was a found to be
myth. Most Of the notaries and persons named
in the claims unknown to the department
In addition to the forty-three cases passed,
there have been $50 similar cases adjusted, ag-
gregating $50 000 and there are still pending
and unadjusted sixty eight cases. amounting to
Biz, 600, making total of 16l fraudulent cases
which might have eventually been paid but for
The discovery
Harvey left Washington about the LIST instant
IN short vacation, and. as already stated. was
arrested he about to return. He was
brought to this city by officers of the secret
ervice. who have kept him under surveillance
ince he was first suspected. He asked to SCI
he Secretary. and when he was informed Of tho
violence againtt him he broke down completed,
md made q full confession Of his guilt.